Crime Watch Liberia Seeks Duty-Free Status | News

Crime Watch Liberia, through its Chief Executive Officer Zaza Ballah, has issued an urgent appeal to President Joseph Nyuma Boakai and the National Legislature for duty-free privileges and direct budgetary support, warning that the volunteer emergency response organization is struggling to sustain its lifesaving operations without critical logistical and financial assistance.

Ballah said the organization, which has spent years responding to emergencies and supporting national security institutions through its Night Birds initiative, needs immediate government intervention to acquire essential equipment, maintain operations, and expand its capacity to save lives across Liberia.

The non-for-profit community safety organization says it has spent more than nine years providing lifesaving emergency services across Liberia without receiving logistical or financial support from successive governments, despite serving as a critical partner to the Liberia National Police (LNP) and other emergency responders.

Every night, while thousands of Liberians retire to their homes, the organization’s “Night Birds” volunteers patrol communities, respond to distress calls, rescue road accident victims, assist pregnant women in labor, search for missing children, intervene in domestic violence cases, respond to fire outbreaks, and support law enforcement in combating crime.

Established in January 2017, Crime Watch Liberia says it was founded on the belief that public safety is a shared responsibility and that community volunteers can complement the work of state security institutions by responding to emergencies, particularly during nighttime hours when assistance is often difficult to obtain.

The organization says its volunteers routinely place themselves in harm’s way without salaries, insurance, protective equipment, or modern rescue tools, relying instead on personal commitment and limited resources to save lives.

According to the organization, Liberia’s rainy season has made emergency response even more challenging, as flooded roads, poor visibility, and difficult terrain significantly delay rescue efforts and increase risks to volunteers.

One of the organization’s greatest concerns, it says, is the lack of emergency transportation during nighttime hours.

Crime Watch Liberia recounted numerous incidents in which pregnant women struggled to reach health facilities because ambulances were unavailable, forcing some to deliver in unsafe conditions while others reportedly experienced tragic outcomes.

Beyond maternal emergencies, the organization says victims of road accidents, fires, armed robberies, medical crises, and other emergencies frequently depend on volunteers who often lack even the most basic rescue equipment needed to respond safely and effectively.

To strengthen its operations, Crime Watch Liberia says it urgently requires ambulances, rapid-response motorbikes, rescue and communication equipment, rechargeable searchlights, headlamps, protective safety gear, reflective jackets, raincoats, rain boots, first-aid supplies, fuel, and other operational support.

The organization warned that without these essential resources, many emergency calls cannot be answered quickly, particularly in remote and hard-to-reach communities where delays often determine whether victims survive.

As part of its appeal, Crime Watch Liberia is calling on President Boakai to grant duty-free privileges for emergency and humanitarian equipment donated by friends, philanthropic organizations, and Liberians living abroad, particularly in the United States.

According to the organization, several diaspora partners have already expressed willingness to donate ambulances, rescue equipment, emergency response tools, and other lifesaving logistics. However, it says the high cost of import duties, customs clearance, shipping, and transportation has made it nearly impossible to bring those donations into Liberia.

Crime Watch Liberia believes granting duty-free status would significantly reduce the cost of importing donated emergency equipment while encouraging greater support from Liberians and humanitarian organizations abroad.

The organization argues that such a policy would strengthen emergency medical response nationwide, improve collaboration with the Liberia National Police and other emergency institutions, and ultimately save more lives through faster responses to accidents, fires, medical emergencies, and criminal incidents.

“Granting duty-free status would enable donated ambulances and rescue equipment to reach Liberia at far lower cost, encourage greater support from Liberian organizations and philanthropists in the diaspora, strengthen emergency medical response throughout the country, increase the organization’s capacity to support the Liberia National Police and other emergency institutions, and save lives by ensuring quicker responses to accidents, fires, medical emergencies, and crimes,” the organization said.

Crime Watch Liberia stressed that such a decision would not merely benefit the organization itself but would directly improve emergency services for thousands of Liberians who depend on volunteer responders during times of crisis.

The organization has also appealed to House Speaker Richard Nagbe Koon, Deputy Speaker Thomas P. Fallah, and members of the House of Representatives to include Crime Watch Liberia in the national budget.

It said government funding would help sustain the Night Birds’ operations while enabling the organization to expand emergency response services across the country.

According to Crime Watch Liberia, a dedicated budget allocation would support night patrol operations, fuel for emergency response, ambulance maintenance, volunteer safety equipment, communication systems, rescue training, community crime prevention initiatives, and expansion into underserved counties.

The organization believes such an investment would strengthen collaboration between volunteer responders and state security agencies while improving public safety nationwide.

Crime Watch Liberia maintained that supporting its work should not be viewed as an expense but as an investment in Liberia’s public safety infrastructure.

“Every ambulance placed into service could save countless lives and every motorbike deployed could help responders reach remote communities. Every flashlight, raincoat, first-aid kit, and rescue tool could mean the difference between life and death during an emergency,” the organization emphasized.

The group noted that its volunteers have consistently demonstrated that community service remains one of Liberia’s greatest strengths, adding that with proper logistical backing they could significantly expand their impact and further complement the efforts of the Liberia National Police and other emergency institutions.

“Crime does not sleep and emergencies do not wait for daylight,” the organization said. “Every night, Crime Watch Liberia volunteers leave their families behind and answer calls from frightened citizens they may never meet again. They ask for no salaries, no fame, and no recognition—only the tools needed to continue saving lives.”

The organization said President Boakai now has an opportunity to empower volunteer emergency responders by granting duty-free privileges that would unlock lifesaving donations from Liberia’s friends and partners in the diaspora.

It also urged Speaker Koon, Deputy Speaker Fallah, and lawmakers to strengthen community security by providing budgetary support capable of sustaining and expanding the organization’s lifesaving operations.

“A safer Liberia cannot be built by government alone. It requires partnership, volunteerism, and vision,” Crime Watch Liberia said. “Supporting Crime Watch Liberia is not merely supporting an organization—it is investing in safer communities, stronger emergency response, and the protection of every Liberian life.”